Valls: Youth to build joint future of Serbia and France

BELGRADE - Serbia and France share the past but they also have a joint future in Europe, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated in Belgrade on Friday, noting that the future belongs to the young and it is up to them to build it.

Addressing the students at a lecture he delivered at the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade, Valls said that he has faith in Serbia just like France had it back in 1914 when it offered a friendly hand to Serbia.

The French prime minister said that the economic cooperation between Serbia and France does not match the level of their bilateral and friendly relations, and noted that the young should take part in the projects aimed at development of the cooperation.

Recalling that the two countries' tradition of exchange of students dates back to the period of World War I, Valls expressed the wish for the number of Serbian students in France to triple by the end of the decade and said that the Erasmus programme offers a good way to improve the mobility of the young.

The EU is often subject of criticism both in France and in Serbia, but it can offer a lot to the young, especially when it comes to mobility, Valls said.

The French prime minister noted that he is aware of the suspicions in the Serbian public concerning European integration, having in mind the history of Serbia and the region and the wounds that have not healed yet.

Nevertheless, he sent a message to the young that economic hardships are precisely the reason why they need to have faith in the European project.

The economy of the EU and Serbia's economy are closely connected and this is why Serbia needs to become a full EU member, and this will also accelerate its economic and social development, the...